Rebuilding Broken Lives

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• Rebuilding Broken Lives
• Nehemiah 21-8
• Page 404 in Pew Bibles

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Nehemiah 21-8

• During the month of Nisan in the twentieth year
  of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him,
  I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had
  never been sad in his presence,
• so the king said to me, "Why are you sad, when
  you aren't sick? This is nothing but sadness of
  heart." I was overwhelmed with fear

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• and replied to the king, "May the king live
  forever! Why should I not be sad when the city
  where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and
  its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
• Then the king asked me, "What is your request?"
  So I prayed to the God of heaven
• and answered the king, "If it pleases the king,
  and if your servant has found favor with you,
  send me to Judah

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• and to the city where my ancestors are buried,
  so that I may rebuild it."
• The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked
  me, "How long will your journey take, and when
  will you return?" So I gave him a definite time,
  and it pleased the king to send me.
• I also said to the king "If it pleases the king,
  let me have letters written to the governors of
  the region west of the Euphrates River, so that
  they will grant me safe passage until I reach
  Judah.

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• And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper
  of the king's forest, so that he will give me
  timber to rebuild the gates of the temple's
  fortress, the city wall, and the home where I
  will live." The king granted my requests, for I
  was graciously strengthened by my God.

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• Rebuilding Broken Lives
• Nehemiah 21-8

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Quick History

• Babylonian Exile, 70 years in punishment for
  sins of Judah.
• Jeremiah had predicted a 70-year exile (Jeremiah
  25)
• Temple was destroyed in 586 BC and was rebuilt in
  516 BC.
• The people were carried into exile in several
  waves and Jews returned to Jerusalem in several
  waves.
• A wave of Jews returned home with Ezra in 457 BC
• Nehemiah comes to rebuild walls 444 BC

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Nehemiah

• Was the key agent for rebuilding walls of
  Jerusalem
• Was one of the key leaders in rebuilding the
  spiritual life of the people.
• Gives us a pattern for rebuilding our personal
  lives and helping others in rebuilding theirs.

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Six Steps to Getting Started
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1. Preparation

• Prayer
• 14 When I heard these words, I sat down and
  wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and
  praying before the God of heaven.
• 11 During the month of Chislev
  November-December in the twentieth year
• 21 During the month of Nisan March-April
  thus, 4 months in the twentieth year of King
  Artaxerxes

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1. Preparation

• Planning
• Vs. 6 The king asked me, "How long will your
  journey take, and when will you return?" So I
  gave him a definite time
• When the opportunity came, Nehemiah was prepared

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1. Preparation? Planning

• Vs. 7 I also said to the king "If it pleases
  the king, let me have letters written to the
  governors of the region west of the Euphrates
  River, so that they will grant me safe passage
  until I reach Judah.
• VS. 8 And let me have a letter written to Asaph,
  keeper of the king's forest, so that he will give
  me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple's
  fortress, the city wall, and the home where I
  will live."

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2. Authorization

• God opens doors
• Proverbs 211 A kings heart is a water channel
  in the Lords hand He directs it wherever He
  chooses.
• Vs. 6 The king, with the queen seated beside
  him, asked me

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2. Authorization

• The King Said
• Vs. 1-2 I had never been sad in his presence,
  so the king said to me, Why are you sad, when
  you aren't sick? This is nothing but sadness of
  heart. I was overwhelmed with fear
• The King Asked
• Vs. 4 Then the king asked me, What is your
  request?

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2. Authorization

• The King Asked
• Vs. 6 The king, with the queen seated beside
  him, asked me, How long will your journey take,
  and when will you return?
• The King Granted
• Vs. 8 The king granted my requests, for I was
  graciously strengthened by my God.

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3. Examination

• Vs. 12-13 I got up at night and took a few men
  with me. I didn't tell anyone what my God had
  laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only
  animal I took was the one I was riding. I went
  out at night through the Valley Gate toward the
  Serpent's Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected
  the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down
  and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

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3. Examination

• Vs. 12-13 I got up at night and took a few men
  with me. I didn't tell anyone what my God had
  laid on my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only
  animal I took was the one I was riding. I went
  out at night through the Valley Gate toward the
  Serpent's Well and the Dung Gate, and I inspected
  the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down
  and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.

Medical term for probing a wound to see the
extent of damage
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4. Recommendation

• Appropriate Persuasion
• Give an Honest Appraisal
• Vs. 17 So I said to them, You see the trouble
  we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates
  have been burned down.
• Envision the Results
• Vs. 17 Come, let's rebuild Jerusalem's wall,
  so that we will no longer be a disgrace.

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4. Recommendation? Appropriate Persuasion

• Testify of Gods Involvement
• Vs. 18 I told them how the gracious hand of my
  God had been on me, and what the king had said to
  me.
• Invite Them to Join You in Action
• Vs. 17 Come, let's rebuild Jerusalem's wall

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4. Recommendation? Appropriate Persuasion

• Give them space to determine their own response
• Vs. 18 They said, Let's start rebuilding, and
  they were encouraged to do this good work.
• KJV And they said, Let us rise up and build.
  So they strengthened their hands for this good
  work.

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Nehemiah 29-20

• I went to the governors of the region west of the
  Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The
  king had also sent officers of the infantry and
  cavalry with me.
• When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the
  Ammonite official heard that someone had come to
  seek the well-being of the Israelites, they were
  greatly displeased.

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• After I arrived in Jerusalem and had been there
  three days,
• I got up at night and took a few men with me. I
  didn't tell anyone what my God had laid on my
  heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took
  was the one I was riding.
• I went out at night through the Valley Gate
  toward the Serpent's Well and the Dung Gate, and
  I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been

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• broken down and its gates that had been
  destroyed by fire.
• I went on to the Fountain Gate and the King's
  Pool, but farther down it became too narrow for
  my animal to go through.
• So I went up at night by way of the valley and
  inspected the wall. Then heading back, I entered
  through the Valley Gate and returned.

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• The officials did not know where I had gone or
  what I was doing, for I had not yet told the
  Jews, priests, nobles, officials, or the rest of
  those who would be doing the work.
• So I said to them, "You see the trouble we are
  in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have
  been burned down. Come, let's rebuild Jerusalem's
  wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace."

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• I told them how the gracious hand of my God had
  been on me, and what the king had said to me.
  They said, "Let's start rebuilding," and they
  were encouraged to do this good work.
• When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite
  official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this,
  they mocked and despised us, and said, "What is
  this you're doing? Are you rebelling against the
  king?"

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• I gave them this reply, "The God of heaven is
  the One who will grant us success. We, His
  servants, will start building, but you have no
  share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem."

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5. Confrontation

• Vs. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah
  the Ammonite official heard that someone had come
  to seek the well-being of the Israelites, they
  were greatly displeased.
• Sanballat Akkadian name Sin has given life
  SinMoon god, not our word for doing wrong. His
  sons had Jewish names. Sanballat was governor of
  Samaria
• Tobiah had a Jewish name, was governor of the
  Ammonites (present Jordan)

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5. Confrontation

• Geshem the Arab He may well have been in charge
  of a powerful north Arabian confederacy that
  controlled vast areas from northeastern Egypt to
  northern Arabia and southern Palestine. He may
  have been opposed to Nehemiahs independent
  domain out of fear that it would interfere with
  his own lucrative trade in myrrh and frankincense.

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5. Confrontation

• Vs. 10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah
  the Ammonite official heard that someone had come
  to seek the well-being of the Israelites, they
  were greatly displeased.
• Notice the depth of their animosity.
• Genesis 315 I will put hostility between you
  and the woman, and between your seed and her
  seed.

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5. Confrontation

• Vs. 19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the
  Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard
  about this, they mocked and despised us, and
  said, What is this you're doing? Are you
  rebelling against the king?
• Notice their mockery
• Nehemiah had urged the people to rebuild so we
  will no longer be a disgrace, a mockery,
  something to be derided.

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5. Confrontation

• Vs. 19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the
  Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard
  about this, they mocked and despised us, and
  said, What is this you're doing? Are you
  rebelling against the king?
• Notice their accusations implications
• In verse 18 they heard about the authorization
  Nehemiah had from King Artexerxes himself, with
  the letters to military escort to prove it.
  Theyre lying!

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5. Confrontation

• A Christian that says he is one who is
• completely fearless,
• continually cheerful,
• and constantly in trouble!

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6. Determination

• Vs. 20 I gave them this reply, The God of
  heaven is the One who will grant us success. We,
  His servants, will start building, but you have
  no share, right, or historic claim in
  Jerusalem.
• A Clear Distinction
• We His servants / You have no share, right or
  historic claim
• A Definite Focus of Trust
• The God of Heaven will grant us success

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• Rebuilding Broken Lives